Anger Management

Is anger really something that we should let control us? I was out on the rocks doing some climbing on what was a stunning Colorado morning. I was making a personal video with my Canon 7D (an expensive semi-pro SLR) to use for an upcoming web-conference. I had shot some clips and had some fun climbing around, setting up, and even tried to get a shot rappelling. To get this shot I had to set the camera up on a tripod close to the edge of an 80 foot cliff. It all seemed great; I grabbed a few wild raspberries, ate them, clipped in to the rope, hit record, and then laughed my way down the face thinking for sure I had captured something cool for my little production. I felt free almost as if I had just been able to fly.

My camera was surely jealous, it too wanted to taste this freedom, at least that is my only explanation. Because just as I unclipped from the rope I could see a dark shadow falling. Then I heard a few loud cracks, and once I realized what had happened, released a few loud cracks of my own. A gust of wind had knocked over my precariously placed picture taker and sent it pummeling down to the platform of granite below. I got the clip I needed, but somehow this failed to make me smile. I was angry. In fact I was so angry that no outburst ensued. I was beyond emoting. Perhaps there in lies a lesson on managing anger - usually there is nothing you can do about it anyway, so why waste a beautiful day. When it gets bad like this, you just have to say - "it is only stuff anyway." WWJD? He probably would have had a cheaper camera, and set it up properly to begin with, but I know he would not have had a little bratty fit. Proverbs 29:11 - A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.